Twenty years ago, the May Day Quake set loose catastrophic waves along the west coast, shattering thousands of lives. At that time, Lucie Bowen’s father disappeared in an explosion at the Marrow Island oil refinery, which destroyed the island’s ecosystem. Now, Lucie's old friend, Katie, writes with strange and miraculous news. Marrow Island is no longer uninhabitable. She is part of a community, a mysterious Colony, that has conjured life again from Marrow’s soil. Lucie's journalist instincts tell her there’s more to the Colony and their charismatic leader --- a former nun with an all-consuming plan --- than its members want her to know.